Locking device for lamp-socket shells.



F. BARR. LOCKING DEVICE FOR LAMP SOCKET sHBLLs.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1911. l

Patented 0013.2

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Ammfy rannnnic sans, or new Yoan, n. Y.

LOCKING DEVCE FQB. LAMP-,SOCKET SHELLS.

specialization of Leners. raient.

*Patentes oet. ee, lele.

Application filed January 17, i911. Serial No. 603,030.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC BARR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Locking Devices for Lamp-Socket IShells, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to shells for incandescent electric lamp sockets.

-The object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive' construction by means of which the cap and body of a shell maybe readily assembled and `when assembled are more safely and securely held from accidental disconnection and yet so that they may be readily separated by an intentional act.

The invention consists, broadly considered, in the provision of circumferentially extending tongues carried by one of the parts of the shell and projecting loops carried by the other part of the shell with which the tongues engage when the parts are longitudinally assembled and relatively rotated. A stop is also provided to prevent backward rotation and disengagement of the tongues and loops. The edges of the two parts of the shell adjacent the tongues and loops are continuous so as to preserve the strength of the parts intact so far as possible. The body. of the shell is made elastic at the end which telescopes in the cap and one of the parts of the stop is carried by' the elastic part of the body so that the stops may be disengaged by pressing on the body adjacent thereto, In the preferred form of the invention openings are provided adjacent the circumferentially extending tongues to receive the loops in assembling the parts so that when theparts are assembled and the loops project into the openings the parts are positioned and held ready for the interlocking of the tongues and loops. The lupper and lower portions of the projections are preferably beveled or rounded so as to make it easier to insert the body of the shell into the cap and to retract the same 'when desired... Preferably one end of one of the openings referred to serves as one member of the stop for pri'iventing rotation and the other member of the stop coact-s therewith.

ln the drawings I have illustrated the preferred form of the invention and modifications thereof. Figure 1, is a front side view of one form of shell embodying the improvementsof my invention. Fig. 2, is a fragmentary vertical section of the same on the plane of the line l X of F ig. l. Fig. 3, is a horizontal section of the saine on the plane of the line- Y Y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3a, is a fragmentary detail view showing a loop of the body member in an opening of the cap member ready for the insertion of the tongue into the loop. This is the preferred form of lock at. the back of the shell. Fig. 4, is a front view of a shell showing the preferred form of loop and stop. Fig. 5, is a side view of a vshell showing another modified form of nonrotative stop. Fig. 6, is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the plane throughA the interlocking parts of Fig. 5. Fig. 7, is a side View of the body of a shell embodying my invention showing one of the members of the stop' of Fig. 5, one part of the shell being broken away and shown in section. Fig. 8, is a'side view of another` modification of my invention. Fig. 9, is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on the plane through the interlocking parts.

The parts of the shell may be made of thin sheet metal as is customary. The cap l is adapted to telescope outside of the body 2 of the shell, the flange 3 affording a bearing with a shoulder 4 at its upper edge on the inside to serve as a stop for the upper edge 5 of the body when the parts are being assembled. The upper end of the body is made flexible or elastic by means of a slot such as 6 in the keyless form. of socket shown in Figs l, 3 and Ll or such as the slot 6 in the socketof Figs. 5 and 7 for key switches or pull switches.

The flangev 3 of the cap is provided with two or niore'tongues such as 7 and 8 extending in a circumferential direction. An'opening such as 9 is provided in the flange 3 around the tongues 7 and 8 to permit of the introduction of the loops such as lO'and ll on the body into positions to receive the tongues such as 7 and 8 respectively in the openings as at l2 and 13 beneath the loops 1.0 and 1l. The edges of the cap and body are continuous adjacent the tongues and loops just described so that `theedges are strong and not liable to accidental bending orinjury. rlhe parts are assembled" by inserting the upper end of the body. 2 into the flange 3 of the cap so that the loo s 10 and l-l stand opposite the ends -otp the tongues 'l and 8 respectively. Theparts are stop prefera then relatively rotated until the tongues penetrate beneath the loops. The parts/areV thus securely ration. .y

To prevent the relative .backward rotation of the arts -of the shell I provide a bly consisting of an outwardly held Yagainst longitudinal sepav projecting shoulder 14 carried byth'e body of the shell and coactingjwith the left hand end 15 of' the opening 1n the cap adjacent the tongue 7. The shoulder 14 snaps out into engagement with the shoulder 15 when the parts are relatively rotated to the positionof Figs-1, 3 and 4. The shoulder 14 is preferably formed by forcing a portion of the metal of the body outwardly. This shoulder is located near theupper edge of the .body addacent theslot 6.l The shell be- .ing the most elastic or flexible at this point may be readily compressed by the thumb 011 linger so as to carry the shoulder 14 inward and disengage it from the shoulder 15 So that one of the parts of the shell may be then rotated backwardly relative to the otherso as to retract the tongues 7 and 8. from 'the loops 10and 11. The loop 10 of' Fig. l' is broad and has a shoulder 14 at its left hand edge so that the tongue 7 passes body thus affording -a double lock;

` dented 'shoulder 17 -carried by the through into the inside of the body of the vshell whereas in the vpreferred form of Fig.

4 the loop 10 is narrow andthe tongue 7 not only passes through into the inside `but passes outward againto the outside of the flange 3 of the ca'p and a Arecess or opening having a.

In the form, shown-in Figs. .5 the non-rotative stop is4 formed lo shoulder 18$in the body'of-the shell. While action is substantially the same the lockin Iiown in Fig. 4 has advantages in the form s manufacture and operation which are su- Y' perior.

tending tongue 19 is carried by the shell and the loop 20 is carried bythe,

-The form shown in Figs. 8 and\9 ma be said to be the reverse of the front loc of Figs. 2l and 3.' The circumferentially eX- the body of cap of 'the shell and projects inwardly' instead of outwardly. 'The left edge of the loop 2O forms a shoulder'2l which coacts lwith the shoulder 22 in. an opening in the end by reason of its elasticity until the loo s 10 and 11 snap out into the openings in t e cap adjacent the tongues -7 and' 8. Th'e parts are then 'held ,fromaccidental longi-v 4 tudinal separation to a certain extent. When the tongues are rotated beneath'the loops they are securely held even'agai'nst a veryconsiderable longitudinal force and when the shoulders 14 and 15 of the non-rotative stop Asnap together the parts cannot be rotated backwardly or disengagedexcept by intentional compression of thebody of the shell, relative backward rotation of the parts and intentional longitudinal tension.

By the term loop as herein used I do not mean to be limited to a construction in Which the tongue can pass through as in Fig.. 4' but it is -used simply as a convenient term to designate the projection of the metal leaving an opening beneath to receive a circumferentially extending tongue. In interpreting the drawings it should be borne in mind that in actual' practice the metal of the shell is very thin and that in the sectionals view of Figs. 2,v 3, 6, 7 and 9 the thickness of the metal is considerably exaggerated. The specific form ofthe invention shown-in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 herein was shown and de` scribed and claimed in my. allowed application #546,084, filed February 26th, 1910,

and this application isv a' continuation oi' the former application to thatI extent. WhatIclaim isz-`v f y?, 1. In a lock 'ointV for an incandescent lamp socket she the construction for en-l gaging the cap upon the bodyv consisting of.

the combination with'a body having'a s lot in the up er' endsuchlslot of the ody collapsible inaslight gree, of opposite loops projected outwardly from the body below-t e upper edge of the same,

the cap having a flange fittedv snugly overv the body and said flange provided above its. lower edge with openings to 'embrace the loops and having integral tongues extended from the metal at one end of each slot yfor a part of the length of the slot, leaving a space in the end of each slot to admit a loop. t

ereto, the edges of the cap and body being continuous adjacent the openings and loops. v

2. A socket shell comprising body and cap members, the body member-having a compressible part at one end and the cap mem ber having a flange to receive the compressible end of the body member, one `of said ymembers having an opening with `a circumterentially extending tongue located a short" distance from the edge of said member Yin rendering the top v said opening, the vedge of said member. ad-fl jacent' said tongue and openingbein'g` continuous, the otherv member .having-Qa" projection and an' opening beneath,v the projection adapted to receive saidwt'ngue when'the members are telescoplcally' assembled and relatively rotated, thejedge ofsaid' latter member being continuous adjacent.

said projection and opening, said members having locking: shoulders adapted -to snap,

vinto engagement when the membershave been the opposite-side of said loop being adapted telescopically assembled and relatively roto snap out into engagement with the oppotated, the edge of the opening adjacent the site side of said opening in said outer memtongue of the first member l'orming one of befr to prevent backward rotation. the locking shoulders, the said locking 4. In a telescopic tubular construction, a shoulder carried by the body member being circumferentially extending tongue carried carried by the compressible part of the body by the outer member and an outwardly member whereby the locking shoulders may struck portion carried by a resilient part of .be disengaged by compressing the body the inner member and inclined near the outer member adjacent the locking shoulders and edge to permit the inner member to be readthe members may be then relatively rotated ily forced into the outer member, said inner to disengage said tongue and permit longimember having a slit at one side of said outtudinal separation of said members. Wardly struck portion into which said 3. In a telescopic tubular construction, a tongue is adapted to be rotated, said out- 15 loop struck outwardly from a resilient por- Wardly struck portion being sufficiently tion of the, inner member and having an Wide to conceal and protect the tip of said opening yat one side, the outer member havtongue and means for preventing relative ing an opening with a circumferentially eX- backward rotation of said members.

tending tongue at one side of the opening FREDERIC BARR.l 20 adapted to be linserted in the opening be- Witnesses: neath said loop byrelatively rotating the E. W. MCGUmE,

members to prevent longitudinal separation, Roer. ALLYN. 

